1 comments about Pocket Menu Reader Portugal (Langenscheidt's Pocket Menu Reader).

1. This book was useful, but could have been much more useful. The problem is that it tries to be much more than it should be. What I would like, is to be able to go into a Portuguese restaurant, get a menu in Portuguese, and be able to quickly look up words and phrases so that I can order something that I want. But of this book's 191 pages, only 25 are the Portuguese to English dictionary. Another 34 pages are an English to Portuguese dictionary.
   
   So what is the rest of the book? Well, there is a recipe section. There is a large section about regional dishes. There is general information on Portuguese and Brazilian food (things like types of wine, etc.). And there is a 47 page section of general phrases plus grammer. Even that section could be better: it had phrases like "Is there any show suitable for children?", yet I couldn't find the phrase for "Thank you."
   
   I really wish this book had stuck to what it claimed to be, a "Menu Reader." If I had wanted a recipe book, I would have bought one! There were too many times that I couldn't find the items on a menu in the dictionary. And I didn't want to spend 10 minutes looking through all the lists of regional dishes, seeing if I could find items that were on the menu.
   
   So, should you buy this book? Well, maybe. Two big pluses are that it is cheap, and it really is pocket-sized. It's just too bad, because it could have been so much more useful than it is.

No comments about Berlitz Barcelona, City GuideMap (Z-Map).

No comments about Andalucia Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs).

1 comments about Insight Guide Madeira (Insight Guides Madeira).

1. I bought my first copy of the Insight Guide to Madeira in 1993. More than a tourist guide it actually tipped the scales toward what could be classified as an illustrated guide to the history, culture, and industry of Madeira. The book touches upon the most important fields of Madeira today: the wine, the embroidery, the folklore, the fishing, and is the very publication that spurred me on to visit and then stay on the beautiful Island of Madeira. Yes, the book actually did that. Now, 5 years down the road I look back at what I read in the guide and see what I know today. Madeira has changed so much in that short space of time that I recommend you make sure you get the latest copy.

1 comments about Portugal, 5th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan).

1. Travelling through Portugal trying to use this book led to a ridiculous series of misadventures. We had thought about renting a car beforehand, but ended up visiting Coimbra and Lisbon only - making this book completely useless.
   
   The guide's profile of each of these cities (two of the three biggest) was abysmal. The maps had no scale or even north/south orientation, and included only a small section of each city. Also, the location of each place to stay and every other sight was given in address only, rather than as reference points on a map (Such as they do in Lonely Planet). Several of the addresses were not even on the maps provided by the guide, and some were on streets that were too small for the guide to print the street name.
   
   Basically our strategy became to get to the city and go straight to the tourist office. The only time the guide was remotely helpful was in listing a laundry facility located in Lisbon - but again, we had to rely on a tourist office map to find it. This guide was endlessly frustrating, and we constantly had to rely on the help of other travellers/citizens, the ever-useful tourist offices, and our ability to wander endlessly, to find anything and everything from internet cafes to hostels to clubs to good dining spots to fado.
   
   Honestly, by the end of the trip if we'd had a match we'd have burned it. Instead we just threw it away.
   
   

No comments about Lonely Planet Trekking in Spain (Lonely Planet Walking Guide).

1 comments about Pocket Map and Guide Seville (EYEWITNESS POCKET MAP & GUIDE).

1. This guide is very small and easy to carry. Because of the limited space, the book doesn't get into too much detail about anything, but gives a short description of all the big sites and gives a few restaurant suggestions. The map just gives a basic overview of the city. There are so many tiny streets that it would be impossible to fit them all into a pocketsized map. It helped us get a round about idea of our way around the city. The people in Sevilla are lovely and extremely helpful, so don't be shy about asking for directions. If you want a more detailed book go for the Lonely Planet guide to Andalucia.

1 comments about Majorca.

1. NICE TEXTBOOK SIZED BOOK. GREAT PICTURES AND DETAILS ABOUT LIFE AND CULTURE IN MAJORCA.

No comments about Paradores of Spain: Unique Lodgings in State-owned Castles, Convents, Mansions and Hotels (Gambit Guide).

No comments about The Rough Guides' Gran Canaria Directions 1 (Rough Guide Directions).